Illustrative Essay

Many Faces of Greed When thinking of the seven deadly sins, many people think of “greed”. However, most only think of greed as the desire for lots of money, and not the desire for things, in general, in abundance and in the form of addiction. The intense, selfish desire for things such as power and wealth is present in all aspects of life today, from children’s movies to historical figures who’ve left lasting impressions on society, and has the ability to influence every day life. From a young age, children are exposed to examples of greed, in ways that are hardly noticeable at all. In the popular children’s movie, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”, greed is the main symbol used to portray the Grinch. In this movie, the Grinch is not after money, but for an abundance of power. The Grinch breaks into the homes’ of the people of Whoville, dressed as Santa, and steals everyone’s Christmas decorations, trees, and even gifts. By doing this, the Grinch is obtaining a sense of power over people. The Grinch wants his actions to make the people of Whoville feel the way he does, miserable and loathing. Children in society today begin to understand that power (a form of greed) is something that is desired in the modern world. A more noticeable example of modern greed is often shown by celebrities and their obsession with wealth. Recently, a scandal about Jennifer Lopez and her demand for a higher salary on the popular show “American Idol” was made public. Jennifer Lopez first joined the cast of judges for “American Idol” in 2011, and was being paid $12 million dollars for her first season. The following year, Lopez bargained with producers for a three million dollar raise, putting her second season pay at $15 million. At the end of Jennifer’s second season, the singer decided to leave the show unless she got yet another pay raise. After negotiations with producers, and Lopez’s threats to walk away from another season, it was finally decided that she would, in fact,